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Cardiothoracic Surgeon salary in Australia

The median full-time salary for a cardiothoracic surgeon is $218,400 per annum, before tax, up $46,700 since 2018.

• Most cardiothoracic surgeons are salaried specialists in public hospitals, where pay is set by the state enterprise agreement and rises with years of service and the amount of on-call work taken on.
• Private practice works differently: surgeons bill per procedure and receive a share of the fee, so earnings track case volume and complexity rather than a fixed scale.
• A mix of public sessions and private lists is common, and it is that mix, more than location, that moves total pay.

How to negotiate a higher cardiothoracic surgeon salary

• Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time cardiothoracic surgeon salary is $218,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
• Use demand as leverage. Cardiothoracic Surgeons are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
• Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Patient care and support and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general cardiothoracic surgeon experience, name them specifically when you ask.
• Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
• Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."

Cardiothoracic Surgeon salary questions

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